CHICAGO — The major league-best Tampa Bay Rays placed closer Pete Fairbanks on the 15-day injured list because of inflammation in his left hip.
Manager Kevin Cash said Fairbanks texted that he was feeling better than he did when he left the ballpark, though he was still sore. He is scheduled for more tests.
Fairbanks was warming up in the bullpen during the Rays’ wild 11-10 win over the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers at home. But he left for the dugout after his hip locked up.
“We’re not gonna replace Pete,” Cash said. “He’s really, really good. What he does at the back end of the bullpen when he’s right and healthy is pretty special. We feel like we do have some guys that can provide some help, and if we can continue to score runs at the clip we are now, that’ll help, too.”
Fairbanks has five saves in six chances and a 1.54 ERA in 13 appearances. He spent time on the 15-day IL earlier this month because of right forearm inflammation.
The Rays recalled right-hander Trevor Kelley from Triple-A Durham. Tampa Bay owns a major league-leading 39-17 record.